brown bear

TICKSa tick before.......and after a hearty mealEstonian Museum of Natural History•Dangerous Nature: Myths & RealityTick season usually begins in April and lasts until October butin a mild winter one can get bitten by a tick even in mid-winter.Ticks can attach in a forest or meadow but also in a home gardenor city green area.Ticks carry several dangerous diseases and spread them throughtheir saliva. The best known of these are tick encephalitis andborreliosis. An infected tick cannot be distinguished from anuninfected one by its appearance but females and males canbe distinguished. Males are evenly dark, while a lighter reddishbrown abdomen, which expands like a balloon as the tick sucksblood, is visible underneath the dorsal sheath in females.A tick waits for a potential meal at the top of a grass blade withits forelimbs outstretched – this way it senses the arrival of ahost using the sensory organs located on its forelimbs. When ahost passes close enough, it hooks itself to the victim and startssearching for the most suitable place for sucking blood.When going into the wild, it is useful to keep in mind that, takinga glance at your trouser legs from time to time, ticks are moreeasily noticed on lighter-colour clothes than on darker ones.Immediately after returning from the hike, the entire bodyshould be checked. As ticks do not attach to the skin at once,there is a chance of finding animals still wandering around. Ifa tick has already attached to the skin, it should be removedimmediately. This is done easiest using tweezers. After a tickbite, you should keep a careful eye on your health for about amonth. If you develop a fever, a sick feeling or extensive rednessin the bite area, you should see a doctor about the tick bite.ANIMALS 10